This what former Miami Hurricanes players had to say about Manny Diaz at the Pro Bowl

When University of Miami football coach Mark Richt stepped down last month, uncertainty surrounded the program. The school moved quickly to extinguish the doubts and named Manny Diaz its new head coach later that same day.

Diaz, Miami’s defensive coordinator from 2016-18, briefly left the Hurricanes last month to assume the head coach position at Temple. He coached Miami through its loss in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27 and was officially back just four days later.

The hiring quickly gained the approval of many of the program’s past stars, including a trio of former Hurricanes representing the NFL’s best in the Pro Bowl.

“I love it, man,” said Jacksonville defensive end Calais Campbell, who played for Miami from 2005-07. “Manny’s a guy that all the players I’ve talked to that play for him love playing for him. He’s a guy that has a lot of energy. He’s very innovative. His defense, he calls the plays based off the players that he has. He’s not just a scheme guy.”

New York Giants outside linebacker Olivier Vernon, who played for the Hurricanes from 2009-2011, said he was “just glad we’re keeping the same faces in there” for the current players.

“I like Manny Diaz,” Vernon said. “He’s from Miami, from my hometown. He really believes in that Miami culture, and he believes in bringing it back. I feel like the guys are going to be in good hands.”

Houston running back Lamar Miller, who played all three years alongside Vernon, offered some inside perspective. His close friend, DeMarcus Van Dyke, is a quality control analyst on defense for Diaz.

“I’ve heard some great things about [Diaz],” Miller said. “They’re doing some good things right now. Hopefully, they can keep that going and get us back to where we used to be at.”

Diaz quickly put his stamp on the program, firing the offensive assistant coaches. The replacement hires, which included former Alabama assistant Dan Enos as offensive coordinator, also drew praise. Miami is expected to run variations of an attacking spread offense to compliment its solid defense.

“I would love to see that happen, especially with the defense with the way it’s played,” Campbell said. “If you get the offense playing at a real high level, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be competing for a championship every year.”

Miller also predicted a bright future.

“The offense struggled a little bit, but they’ve got a lot of talent down there,” he said. “Once they build that chemistry, that bond, I think they’ll be a dominant force.”